Heroes' Path
by Go-Colts
Summary: Sequel to The Day it Changed. Justice LeagueKP crossover. On the darkest of days, the world looks to find a beacon of light. When the Justice League fails, it takes true heroes to keep fighting.
1. Chapter 1

A/N--Yes, this is the sequel to _The Day it Changed_. I've read every one of your reviews and I appreciate all of them. A lot of you said this ended too abruptly--I agree but I did it for three reasons.

1. The story was obviously dragging on as I ran out of ideas. It needed to find closure.

2. I believe the ending--though weak--left room for a sequel that could easily take places a few weeks later, or it could make the story a stand-alone work that left an open ending as to who Ron would end up with. That's something I wish Disney had done with _So the Drama._

3. If I did decide to write a crossover sequel, it wouldn't have been right to introduce a whole new universe on chapter 27 or something. Thus, I needed _The Day it Changed_ to end before I either leave it as a stand alone work or tack on another piece of work.

On another note, I think I'm going to make this a Justice League/Kim Possible crossover because I've always wanted to do one (and I've started one), but if I do this I'll be, in essence, killing two birds with one stone. I get my most popular story's sequel updated and I get to write about my favorite cartoon.

As to those of you who felt betrayed in a way by the ending, I'm sorry, but by popular demand I am making a sequel that I will continue writing as long as there is interest in it.

There will be angst, but not in chapter 1. Chapter 1 will be one of those cheery introduction chapters before I send the characters into a downward spiral that characterized _The Day it Changed_, though it may be for different reasons.

To those of you who have never read the original and don't plan to, just keep in mind that Bonnie is currently Ron's g/f after he saved her from suicide. Long story.

Also, this is JLU in canon UNTIL the end of the speech in the episode of Divided We Fall, which is the true season finale anyway. In this version, Green Arrow does not speak up and the JLU truly disbands.

Chapter 1

"Come on, Ron, let's go to Club Banana," Kim said chirpily to the man standing next to her.

"Whatever, Kim. Abercrombie and Fitch has a way better selection," said an irate Bonnie from the other side of the boy.

"No it doesn't," Kim replied coldly. "Even Ron likes Club Banana more."

_'Don't bring me into this again,'_ Ron thought as he mentally slapped himself. Why had he decided to take both of the girls here at once again? Oh, right. Kim wanted to go shopping, and Bonnie sure as hell wasn't going to let them go alone; so now he was stuck here as Kim and Bonnie played their not-too-subtle game of hostility. Under normal circumstances, Ron wouldn't have minded two beautiful girls fighting for him; however, when both of the girls were mortal enemies of each other, well, it just didn't always turn out pretty, and he was usually dragged into it.

"He does not!"

"Whatever, I'm the one who's known him for sixteen years." _'Here we go again,'_ Ron thought while he shook his head.

"Well, he's _my _boyfriend." _'I better stop this before they really have a fight.'_

"You know where I really want to go?" he asked, and both girls turned to him with pleading smiles on their faces.

"Where?" they both asked sweetly.

"The food court." Both of the girls pouted and, upon making eye contact with other, looked away with a condescending look of contempt on their faces.

_'Bonnie: 0. Kim: 0. Ron: -4.'_ At least they were still tied.

"Well what are waiting for?" Bonnie asked as she gripped his hand and pulled him in the direction of the Chinese restaurant.

"No, Ron wants to eat Italian," Kim said, pulling him in a different direction.

_'Make that Ron: -5.'_

****

X.X

"Dr. D, what the hell is that rat doing?" asked a very confused Shego as she stared at a rat convulsing in pain.

"What, Shego? You're not talking about experiment 0081 are you?"

"Do you see any other rats here? Of course I'm talking about 0081!" she snapped angrily at the blue-skinned man. He quickly made his way over and looked through the cage windows. His expression spoke volumes. "Let me guess. We messed up another experiment," she said sardonically

"No, Shego! Not really." She stared at him for a moment longer. "Ok, fine! I messed up. Not good. Take that rat out Shego. I'm going to need to run some tests on it."

****

X.X

It had been an incredibly long day for Ron. Not only was he stuck carrying the shopping of two beautiful ladies, but he had to constantly jump into their heated arguments that he feared would turn into a battle of fists. It wasn't that he didn't have a preference between the two. He probably did, but he just wasn't sure who it was anymore.

Not that he'd take sides even if he knew. It'd be like asking for a war. Sometimes, one of the girls would aim low and the other would fire back even lower. _'Does that statement apply to girls?'_ he casually wondered.

He brightened, however, when he found himself approaching his car, ready to drop off everything and take a nice, relaxing break as he cruised around with the two ladies. He should have known better. As he climbed into the driver's seat after dropping off the shopping bags in the trunk, there was a mad scramble to the passenger seat next to him.

"Out of the way, Possible,' Bonnie said as she shoved Kim to make room for herself. Kim shoved back, careful not to hurt Bonnie…too badly anyway.

"You got the front seat in the morning. It's rightfully mine now."

"I got the seat in the morning because Ron likes me more, and that sure as hell hasn't changed after hearing you whine all day."

"Says Miss I-can't-stop-complaining-because-Kim's-so-perfect. The only reason you got the front this morning was because he picked you up first."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Bitch."

"Slut."

Ron slapped his hand against his forehead. _'Note to self: bring along suicide pills.'_

"Okay, I have a perfectly fine solution to all of this. Kim, you take the passenger seat." She instantly smirked in victory. "Bonnie, you're driving." Both girls groaned.

"I have to sit next to her?"

"Stop complaining. You should be honored."

"JUST STOP IT!" The two girls quieted down immediately. "Sorry, it's just been a long day. Can we please just go home?"

"Then tell 'Miss Perfect' to hurry up,' Bonnie said, already fastened in the driver's seat.

"I'm not the one who took twenty minutes to find the right--" Ron blocked out the rest of the words. He refused to hear more of their bickering on what he thought was going to be a perfectly relaxing Saturday.

_'What am I at now? -12?'_

****

X.X

"Dr. D, you've got to be kidding me." She look at the results in surprise. "What's happening to it?"

"I don't know! I've never seen anything like it."

"Well that makes two of us."

****

X.X

"Have you opened the rift?" asked a stony-faced man that towered over six feet. His face was gray, and his head was covered by a blue hood that cast an ominous shadow over his features. The metal chest plate he wore was merely for show, being nearly invincible from everything and everyone, except a select few. He was standing on the ledge of a stone tower overlooking his fiery planet. There were constantly lit flames from the holes in the ground, where the slaves toiled endlessly for their 'god.' His mere presence resonated fear.

"Lord Darkseid, we're very close now. A few more days should do it at most," an emaciated man shakily said from behind him. He felt his whole body tremble with fear. "We've worked nearly nonstop for weeks--we haven't slept more than three hours a night and our meal times have been--"

"I didn't ask for your excuses." His mere voice caused the man's knees to quiver in fright as he kneeled down.

"Forgive me, master! I beg--" His words were cut off when he looked at Darkseid's crimson eyes glowing with flames. "No, please!" Of all the knowledge he possessed, Darkseid did not understand forgiveness. Nor did he desire to. His eyes shot two yellow beams that obliterated the trembling servant upon contact, leaving a few ashes as evidence that he had existed at all.

"Steppenwolf!" he called out, and from the shadows stepped out a sleek figure with armor plating.

"Yes, master?"

"Appoint a new leader to the project. Tell him he has one day to open the rift."

****

X.X

Superman stood on a podium in front of thousands of people, mostly reporters and other members of the media that had been invited to telecast the event. He knew that the whole world was watching. The rest of the world's heroes stood in front of the reporters, carefully eyeing the man of steel. _'What's going on?'_ they all wondered to themselves. As Superman prepared to speak, the place fell silent immediately. Even the wind seemed to stop blowing.

"This is the hardest thing I've ever had to say." It was going to be even harder than trying to explain to the world why he had tried to invade it four years ago because at least then, he knew he was doing the right thing. Now, he wasn't so sure. "I'm guilty." The original members of the league--six plus Superman--watched him with vigilant eyes. They revealed no emotion. "We're guilty. Of the sin of Hubris. We had the best of intentions to be earth's guardians--to keep you safe, but we failed you. We looked down at the world from our tower in the sky and let our power and responsibility separate us from the very people we were supposed to protect."

_'You're our guardian angel, Superman,' a tearful child had told him after he was saved from a shooting. It seemed like an eternity ago._

"No one should ever be afraid of us."

_'If you--when you ever go rogue again, we have to have something to stop you.' Dr. Hamilton, once a good friend of Superman's, was now working against the man he had once trusted with his life. Despite his words, Hamilton's eyes betrayed a primal fear that shocked Superman. It scared him, too--if Dr. Hamilton was afraid of him now…what hope did the rest of the world have?_

"For that reason, we're decommissioning the Watchtower. The energy weapon up there is already gone. We're taking down the station as well." Shocked whispers swept through the crowd.

"We'd like to thank all of you heroes for your courage and loyalty, but in the future we're all going to have to act as independent agents. We're not going to be an army anymore." The crowd was now in total shock. No one even snapped a photo. _'Could he be implying that…'_

"As of right now, we are disbanding the Justice League. This is the end." No one moved. Superman slowly left the stage, as the rest of the original members followed him to show support. Everyone wanted to say something, to plead--to beg--Superman to stay. After all, they had just saved the world--maybe even the galaxy--only a day ago. Without the Justice League, where would they be? Whether they liked it or not, their answer would be answered in the future.

****

X.X

Ron sighed as he took off his shirt and stared in the mirror. Nothing had changed, but he felt different--like he was missing something. Maybe it was sleep, or at least he hoped so. When he had finally let Kim back into his life, the transition was so quick that he barely even noticed it. Within a week, they seemed like best friends again.

When he had finally told Bonnie what had happened, she just went deathly silent before yelling at him. _'How could you let her back in after what she did?'_ More importantly, when she calmed down a little, she openly asked him, _"Don't you find it odd that she decided to come back after she sees your new fighting and other…assets?"_ Whether it was true or not, it made him wonder and doubt. At the time, he just didn't have the heart to keep her out of his life anymore after she tried to get back in.

She was just…KP. He could never bear hurting her, until she had pushed him to the point where he wasn't even himself anymore. It was only natural that eventually she would win her way back in. She always did. He closed his right fist and saw the veins just bulge out of his arms. His abilities…they were so beyond ordinary bounds now, and people thought Kim was amazing. He had always believed Kim to be amazing, which complicated the whole Bonnie affair even more.

_'Bonnie's my girlfriend, but Kim's…Kim.'_

He knew where the argument with himself was going already. He also knew that Kim might've been trying to push Bonnie out of the picture to get there herself. Like any other person in his position, he could only wonder _'Why now?'_

A/N--This is a "test the waters" chapter. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW for this chapter because it's the first chapter in the sequel, which means I really need to have a good start. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed the original, and I will be addressing individuals next chapter because my author's notes went so long in this one.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N--Many of you have seen my user name change to Go-Colts. Why, you ask? Because THIS IS OUR YEAR. Stupid New England Patriots. Anyway, I just needed to say that to clear up the confusion. It will be Go-Colts starting August and until we lose.

It seems a lot of you like my first chapter, so I'll continue writing and make this the official sequel.

Now, I'm going to address you faithful reviewers.

Eckles--As always, you have reviewed quickly and constructively. You are indeed correct about experiment 0081 and Ron. How they're connected…well, you'll find out later. Thanks for your input as usual.

**Kitsune**--I shared the same worries as you when I started writing this, which is why I called it a "test chapter" in a way. I'm going to try and introduce JLU as smoothly as I can and, if necessary, I'll just write a description of all the major characters. However, I'm sure most of us know who Superman is, right? I mean, he's a household name.

**DJ Rodriguez**--As with Eckles, thanks for constantly reviewing and offering good input. While the formula strengthened Ron, Darkseid is, well, a god. Ron is way out of his league here--I'd put him at teenage Spider-man level. As for the threesome…well, writing lemon scenes isn't really my style.

**Ron-sama, Ron Stop, Bratty Brina, KPR, hdragon**--Thanks for the encouragement

**bommor**--Don't worry. It's a well-known fact I can't write a serious happy fic.

**Aero Tendo**--If Ron went pimp…well, he's not exactly Superman is he?

**GargoyleSama**--You just gave me an EXCELLENT idea, since it was Green Arrow who changed Superman's mind in continuity. I can't guarantee I'll put him in, but if I did there might still be a way to keep the JLU show canon. Thanks.

**Jawelik--**As with Eckles and DJ, thanks for your constant support since the beginning.

**Riverfox237**--I wrote the summary in a review of one of your fics, but I'll post it now for everyone's benefit.

_The Day it Changed_ in a nutshell---SPOILERS:

Kim breaks Ron's heart, and Ron makes a deal with Drakken. He gets a super soldier formula tested on him, in a sense making him a little stronger than Captain America and with reflexes a little slower than Spider-man's. He stops Bonnie from committing suicide, and they find solace in each other's arms. At the end, Ron sort of forgives Kim.

Well, got that out of the way. Time for chapter 2!

Chapter 2

Sunday with Bonnie was an incredibly quiet day compared to their mall adventure just yesterday. Bonnie had wanted to go out again, to do something, but Ron insisted on staying home and doing…well, nothing.

"Ron, what's wrong?" Bonnie looked over at her boy with a worried expression. Something was obviously bothering him. When Ron didn't reply, Bonnie knew instantly what it was about. "You still have a lot of feelings for her, don't you?" Ron looked up in surprise. There was no point in lying to her.

"I, I guess I do, but it's so different now. You're my girlfriend, and I was—am perfectly happy with that. It's just that…why now, Bon?" She internally sighed. Things had been going so perfectly before Kim Possible came back into his—their lives. Now, everything became a huge mess.

"Ron," she started, tilting up his head with her hand, so that they looked into each other's eyes. "You know I love you more than anything…except maybe shopping. Well, shopping too, but it'd be close."

Ron smirked a little; she always had a way of cheering him up when they talked about such a confusing subject. "And you obviously know I ha—dislike Kim very much because of our past rivalry and, more importantly, what she did to you." He nodded, at least glad for her honesty. "So what I'm about to tell you now may be biased, but it's what I honestly believe. I think she's only come back now because number one, she sees you aren't a loser anymore and number two, she hates seeing you with me. Obviously, you've been having the same doubts."

"So you're sayi—" Bonnie interrupted him.

"Just understand that this is from my view, and I could be way off. Maybe she has changed, and if she has, I still want what's best for you. You can't always be torn in two; one day, you're going to have to make a decision, and it'll be yours and yours alone to make. I just hope you choose correctly." That's exactly why he liked this new Bonnie. She wasn't as selfish anymore and really didn't try to demean Kim when she wasn't here to defend herself. Above all, she comforted him. Now it was time to repay the debt.

"I'm sorry. Here I am, discussing another girl with you. You're my girlfriend," he said, staring into her eyes. "And I'm with you right now, so let's make the best of it."

Bonnie grinned, forgetting all about Kim. For now, Ron was hers and no one could take him away.

X.X

Darkseid was getting angrier by the minute. He had already sent three of his slaves to oblivion, and still the interdimensional rift had not been completed. He felt Steppenwolf approach him from the ominous shadows of his tower.

"I hope, for your sake, that you have good news for me, Steppenwolf." Even the hardened warrior feared Darkseid's merciless wrath.

"Lord Darkseid, the rift is now complete. Apokolips is set to warp to Dimension Xu-341."

"Excellent," he said, eyes flashing. If all went according to plan, the whole universe would be at his mercy. "Commence operation."

"Yes, master."

X.X

With the Watchtower set to be dismantled, all the members of the Justice League sat one last time on the space tower. In one day, it would be headed back to earth, back into the complete ownership of the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. Of course, the public didn't know that Mr. Wayne was actually Batman.

The common room was filled with chatting heroes, saying their good byes and laughing at memories of their heroics. "No, seriously, I saved the universe!" boasted Booster Gold, who was actually telling the truth. The group surrounding him cracked up.

"Just like the time you picked up Wonder Woman and Supergirl at once, right?" More laughter followed as Booster Gold could only laugh along with them. He'd sure as hell miss these guys.

The conversations seemed to cease when a very tired looking Superman walked through the doors to the common room.

"You can't be serious!" Green Arrow angrily yelled at Superman.

"What do you mean?"

"You know damn well what I mean. Do you think this will make things better? Do you think that, without a Justice League, the earth can survive another extraterrestrial attack? Do you know what we did last week! We saved the world! And you're going to throw that all away because why? It'll make you more popular?" He spit the last part out.

"The disbanding of the Justice League does not mean the end of truth and justice. You can still operate—"

"As individual agents, blah blah blah. You know, when you first started the league, I didn't really trust it—for the exact same reasons the rest of the world didn't trust it. I'm just a normal man—I can't dodge bullets or shoot lasers from my eyes, but at least I realized the world needs the Justice League, whether they like it or not!" The Green Arrow, alias Oliver Queen, was fuming now. He had half a mind to punch Superman, though he knew it'd hurt himself far more than it'd hurt the Man of Steel. Instead, he turned around and walked away, headed to his room to collect his things.

X.X

Deep in space, a large, fiery planet seemed to appear out of nowhere. It had, in fact, been warped in from another dimension and, unbeknownst to the citizens of this earth, marked the beginning of a war that would push good and evil to its limits.

"Kalibak," barked Darkseid, feeling the snips of satisfaction—for he did not feel happiness.

"Yes, father?" replied a plump, ogrish beast with onyx hair and fire-hardened skin. He carried a club that was his weapon of choice, and wanted nothing more than to make his dear father proud.

"Assemble an assault team of low level para-demons. Scout the planet for metahuman activity and do not make yourself known. We will show ourselves to the planet in due time." And it would be a dark day for a planet without a Superman.

X.X

In the middle of an unknown island, a white portal boomed open as Kalibak and his para-demon servants stepped out. A tad bit stronger than the casual human, para-demons wore armor and had wings that allowed them to fly. They were handy soldiers that were highly expendable.

Kalibak shut off the portal he had just opened with his 'boom tube,' a device capable of transporting matter nearly anywhere. Of course, it'd be wise to know where one was going, lest one boom himself into the depths of space.

"Set up base here!" Kalibak barked. "Today is the beginning of the end for this pitiful planet."

X.X

It was a perfect February day outside--the sun was shining, a light breeze, and the temperature was relatively warm. Two figures were jogging briskly outside and enjoying the rare day. They stopped when they reached Bonnie's house, one out of breath while the other was just breathing slightly harder than usual.

"I haven't run like this since…since cheerleading," the girl panted heavily. "How can you not even be tired?" The boy just shrugged. "Anyway, let's go in and get some drinks. Relax a little." The boy nodded his approval and followed her inside.

"So, you up for a movie tonight down in the basement?"

"Sounds good." The girl grinned, happy to just have his company. They had spent the whole day together--no interruptions from Kim 'Perfect.' She needed this Sunday to recharge before heading back to school.

"I miss these days…just you and me, no interruptions."

"Yea, I know what you mean."

"But I have you tonight, right?"

"Of course," he said, kissing her. As if on cue, there was a loud beeping from Ron's communicator. He gave an apologetic look before turning it on.

"What, Wade?"

"I just picked up an immense energy outburst in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. I've never seen anything like it."

"Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"No can do. _Global Justice_ is asking for _your _help. And Kim's of course."

"Okay…so…"

"Your ride's outside."

"But I didn't hear--"

"Just go, Ron. They need you." He shut off the communicator and looked at Bonnie, who had an irritated look written across her face.

"Bonnie, I--"

"Just go!" she yelled angrily. She was starting to get fed up with all of this. The one night in two weeks where they actually got to spend time alone, and Kim ruined it again!

"I'm s--"

"Ronald Stoppable, I don't need your apologies! It's the same thing every single time! If you feel that Kim's more important, then just go back to her!" she was on the verge of tears as weeks of frustration came bearing down on her.

"No, it's not--" Ron was interrupted again.

"Are you going to go or not?" She was challenging him--she was making him choose. He put his head down and turned to the door. It might not have felt right, but he believed it to be the right thing. He slowly opened the door and stepped out. "AND DON'T BOTHER COMING BACK, RON!" the fuming Bonnie yelled as she slammed the door behind him. He knew she was crying, and every fiber in his body told him to go back. But he didn't.

X.X

In the middle of the Watchtower, a white portal boomed open. It had the exact same formation as the one Kalibak had used to beam himself to the other earth. A figure in a red suit wearing a metallic mask stepped out. He ignored the stares that every league member was giving him.

"Where's Superman?" Apparently after hearing the boom, Superman had thought there was trouble in the common room. He flew in to meet a familiar sight.

"Orion? What's the matter?"

"Darkseid." Superman's eyes flashed crimson. Few in the world had ever seen him in such an angry state.

"What is it this time?"

"He's given up on your planet, it seems."

"What?" Superman was disbelieving.

"Well, at least in this dimension. He used technology forbidden by the Source to boom himself into another dimension. He's going to enslave its earth in his quest to find the anti-life equation."

"What is New Genesis doing then? Why aren't you following him!"

"Because we can't, Kal-el. We cannot violate the rules the Source has set in place for us. It is against--"

"That obviously didn't stop Darkseid, did it? A whole universe is at his mercy now…"

"Hear me out. We cannot follow, but you can." He opened up his hand revealing a device that looked like a boom tube boomer. "You can take six heroes with you, but I cannot guarantee your return. You must leave immediately, while the rift is still fresh."

"And you're going to stand idly by while your fath…while Darkseid terrorizes another planet?"

"I'm sorry." He reopened the white portal and stepped into it. "Good luck." He was gone in an instant.

All the original leaguers assembled in the conference room, with the exception of Hawkgirl.

"Where's Shayera?" asked Superman.

"She's on a personal journey deep in space. She wouldn't tell us where she was going."

"Then there's only six of us. Who should we take as our seventh?"

"Supergirl's fine," piped up Flash.

"Too inexperienced."

"Huntress?"

"Unstable."

"Captain Atom?"

"After what happened with Cadmus? Give him a few months."

"I'll go," said a voice as the conference room doors opened. Oliver Green, the Green Arrow, stepped through.

"We--"

"Don't have time to argue," Batman finished. "Let him come. Ollie's experienced and has proven his loyalty. Besides, we're running out of time. We need to make one last stop to the Batcave before leaving." They all looked over at him with questioning looks. "Money."

X.X

The battle had been going incredibly well for Global Justice. Kim and Ron were tearing through the odd-looking monsters while the rest of Global Justice was getting the upper hand over the remaining. Kalibak had seen enough. He wasn't planning on a fight so soon and was incredibly unprepared.

"Fall back!" he roared at his minions and boomed open the white portal again. The para-demons retreated, and Kalibak gave one last look to the heroes before leaving.

X.X

Kim and Ron got their own private booth on the ride back to Middleton, courtesy of Global Justice. It was incredibly silent, until Kim couldn't take it anymore.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kim rolled her eyes. Some things never changed.

"You haven't said more than three words on our way here, and you still aren't talking. Aren't we past the 'I'm not telling you about my life' stage?" Her features suddenly darkened. "Did I do something wrong? Because if I did, I'm really, really sorry and won't do it ag--"

"It's not you." Kim calmed down a little. "Well, not mainly about you." She stiffened again.

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.

"It's Bonnie. I, I think…she broke up with me." Kim felt a wave of satisfaction sweep through her. She felt slightly guilty, though, when she saw the look on Ron's face. _'He really likes her.'_

_'Wait a minute…did that bitch intentionally hurt Ron?'_

"Why?"

"Well, I know it sounds silly, but I can really see it from her side. We…haven't been spending much time together because, well…"

"Because I came back into your life."

"Right, and it's been weighing down on her until…I guess she just exploded. She said I'd have to choose, but I had to go on this mission. Wade said it was urgent. Instead, we get a bunch of lunatics in Halloween costumes talking about destroying our world."

"I'm sorry." She meant it. However, a part of her wanted her to take advantage of situation. She couldn't though, not to Ron. "But Ron, I don't think Bonnie actually meant it. As a girl, I understand that we get kind of…impulsive at times. I mean, if you buy her flowers and show her a good time…well, I'm sure she'll forgive you."

"You think so?"

"I know so." She gave him her trademark smile that made him feel like he truly could do anything. _'If Ron and I do ever get back together, I want it to be because he truly wanted to…not because of something like this.'_

X.X

The fiery pits of Apokolips burned mercilessly. Each slave toiled not just because they were forced to, but because they wanted to. To them, the man watching over them was their god. They saw the man's eyes flash--they always did when he felt emotion.

"So you have failed me again?"

"Father, I can go back…I'll--"

"Leave me, Kalibak." Kalibak looked like he was about to argue before putting his head down and sulking back.

"Steppenwolf! This is your mission now."

"Yes, master."

X.X

Six a.m. saw a groggy Ron leave the Global Justice jet. He quietly stalked into the house and, ignoring everything, collapsed on his bed in exhaustion. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep before…_Briiiiiing!_

_'Seven already?'_ he thought to himself as he used all his willpower to force himself up.

"Ron, honey, are you alright? Your father and I were worried sick last night."

"Yea, mom, I'm fine. I just got back an hour ago from our mission." There was a brief silence before his mom's worried voice replied through the door.

"Well, honey, I can call you in sick. I don't think you should have to--"

"It's okay, mom. I'll be fine." _'And I need to talk to Bonnie.'_

"Well, alright dear. Just don't push yourself too hard."

He arrived at Bonnie's house at seven thirty seven after taking a quick shower and throwing on some clothes. However, Bonnie wasn't waiting outside this time. Sighing, he got out of his car and knocked on the front door. Bonnie's mother answered with a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Oh hi, Ronald."

"Hi, Mrs. Rockwaller. Is Bonnie here?"

"Um, didn't she tell you she was going to drive to school today?" she asked in surprise.

"Must have slipped my mind," Ron lied. "Thanks Mrs. Rockwaller!" Ron said, running back to his car.

X.X

"Uh, Dr. D., is experiment 0081 really the rat we experimented on? I mean, it could have been a mistake or something." Shego looked down at the unmoving rat.

"Unfortunately, yes, Shego," Drakken replied nervously.

"Well, what's wrong with it?"

"Its cells…they're dividing too fast for the body to handle."

"What are you trying to say?" He looked grimly over at her.

"The rat's dying of malignant cancer."

A/N--Uh-oh. That can't be good. Like I said though, this story can't be happy forever now, can it? It wouldn't be a true sequel to _The Day it Changed_ without tragedy. :P


	3. Chapter 3

A/N—Ah, here I am with another chapter. Unfortunately, when school starts my updates might (will) slow down or become nonexistent. Currently, I'm writing a lot of this stuff at work out of sheer boredom, so I'm getting a lot done. Note--this is the first draft and is subject to change.

**Important Note--I'll start the unofficial poll now. Who do you prefer--K/R or B/R?**

Okay, now that that's aside, time to address the reviewers.

**Darkcloud1**--Ah, glad to see some questions. Kalibak is far stronger than Ron/Kim, but he wasn't fighting against them. Remember, a part of his mission was to keep a low profile, and he failed at that. Thus, he retreated back to Apokolips before he could make even more of a scene. Also, aren't para-demons fairly weak compared to meta humans?

**Mobius97--**You'll see all the tragedy you need to see in a story in due time. ;)

**ron-sama**--Yes, you hit it on the spot. I wouldn't call Ron a superhero just yet, and Bonnie's biggest issue is still with Ron/Kim instead of Ron/missions. Darkseid wouldn't kill Kalibak unless something really drastic came up--he didn't even kill Orion when he had the chance.

**qtpie235--**From my knowledge, malignant cancer is fatal and there is no guaranteed cure, if any at all.

**Riverfox237**--I usually try to tone down my language and keep it clean, but sometimes the situation calls for that kind of language to keep realism. Don't worry, I'm not going to have one of my characters just spewing out cuss words for no reason.

**KPR**--Now that I think about it, I do remember an X-men Evolution episode about Captain America getting cancer. Thanks for pointing that out.

**Jawelik**--Thanks again for reviewing. I'll keep updating as long as I have time.

**Gargoylesama**--As the Joker said, "Batman is no mere mortal." You'll see where the earth's villains fall soon enough.

**Eckles**--Thanks again for keeping your consistent and productive reviews. I really enjoy reading them and they lead to good ideas. Yes, cancer will shock Ron to no end. You're right--Kim isn't trying to take advantage of the situation because she truly wants their relationship to work out if Bon/Ron's fails. She doesn't want him to have any doubt whatsoever about her or her motives. However, Bonnie's reasons might be right in the end. Who knows? ;)

**Nightwing 509**--Enjoy this chapter.

**Whatever Star**--Excellent prediction, as you'll see why from this chapter.

**DJ Rodriguez**--Thanks again for your consistent reviews. Yes, Ron and the rat are fatefully intertwined. As for the time Bonnie and Ron have left together…I can't guarantee that they will have a lot, so you may be right on that. Right now, I can only see Ron beating Batman, Green Arrow, and the para-demons. The big guns are still out of his league (pun intended).

Chapter 3

If there was one thing Steppenwolf could be thankful for, it was the fact that Darkseid gave him free reign to deliver his ultimatum. If this planet had been as weak as Kalibak had reported…well, it would die before any kind of measly resistance was put together.

Speaking of his grand-nephew (Kalibak), he personally believed that Kalibak did a good job on his last mission. The only mistake he made was drawing attention to himself, something that Steppenwolf was not going to hesitate to do. Kalibak had scouted the heroes and gave an accurate description of them. Despite the fact that this earth seemed so similar to their other earth, none of these people were even close to Kal-el's power.

And if this earth was anything like the one that Darkseid had failed—_'be careful with the wording'_—been unable to invade, they would share the same pitiful weakness. Compassion. Love. During the brief time he worked for Darkseid, even Kal-El, the greatest knight Darkseid ever had—_'yes, even better than me' _he grudgingly admitted—shared that weakness.

Steppenwolf pushed those thoughts out of his mind as stepped out of his boom tube portal, followed by a dozen parademons. _'Now the fun begins,_' he thought to himself, brandishing his trademark whip.

X.X

February was just as cold as January, perhaps even colder as the temperature was frequently below zero. Middleton High's students, however, were warmly tucked away in their high school, immediately forgetting about the frigid environment they had to fight through in the morning.

It had been the last thing on Ron's mind, as he scrambled to his locker, knowing that he'd be late again. He had, after all, stopped by Bonnie's locker in hopes of finding her but, unsurprisingly, she wasn't there. He had waited and waited until the five minute bell rang.

He knew she had been avoiding him the whole day, but there was no way she could avoid him during lunch. He'd have his say, apologize, and things would be good again. At least, he told himself that to stop his anxiousness. After scanning the cafeteria, he spotted his target. The pretty brunette was already halfway through the lunchline.

"Hey, Ron," a voice said from behind him, jerking him from his thoughts.

"Hey, KP," he said, obviously distracted. He didn't even bother turning around, and Kim followed his eyes to see the reason.

"Go say something!" She gave him a push in the right direction. He kept on going until he was right behind Bonnie. Taking a deep breath…

"Hey, no cutting!" Bonnie turned around to see what was going on and came face to face with Ron. She quickly turned her head and just stared straight ahead.

"Sorry, man. This'll only take a sec," Ron replied sheepishly as he cut in front of Bonnie and turned to look at her. Not surprisingly, she didn't look very happy to see him. "Um, I'm sorry." _'Ron, you idiot. Is that the best you can do?'_ he thought to himself.

"It's fine." Her tone was steady but her eyes said otherwise. "We all have to move on sometimes, right? Or, in your case, move back."

"Bonnie, you're not being fair." She didn't reply. He was about to say something when he saw an auburn-haired cheerleader running towards him, Kimmunicator in hand.

"Ron, you have to see this!" she was starting to panic.

"Kim, I'm busy," he whispered through clenched teeth.

"Look!" She held out her Kimmunicator, and everyone around took a look, including Bonnie. On it was a live news segment sent through by Wade.

"Mysterious Creatures Ravage New York" was the title, shown on the bottom of the screen. People were screaming wildly as they fled from the group using incredibly destructive weapons on the surrounding area. One man wearing a green helmet lashed his whip out, destroying solid concrete as it made contact.

"Fifteen minutes ago, these group of madmen appeared in upper New York according to witnesses. Demanding to see the world's finest heroes, they unleashed their fury on the surrounding population. Using weaponry that the US government claims it cannot identify, these 'aliens' are remorselessly demolishing the surrounding buildings. There have been no casualties yet, but it appears that--"

The news reporter was cut short when she felt a strong hand wrap around her neck. Steppenwolf stared into the camera was his piercing eyes, causing the people surrounding Kim to shudder. The lunchroom was almost completely silent, and the food stopped being served. Those who were lucky enough to be next to Kim had their eyes focused on the Kimmunicator, while the remaining students listened on.

It wasn't long before the teachers came in and turned on all the TV monitors in the lunchroom so that everyone had a clear view of Steppenwolf. Everyone and everything in Middleton had come to a complete halt.

**"Earthlings, I am Steppenwolf." **The reporter shivered fearfully in his grasp. **"I hail from the planet Apokolips."**

X.X

Drakken and Shego were busy running tests on the barely moving rat. Its heartbeat was there but rapidly fading. For all of its strength and superiority, it was falling prey to its own perfection. Behind them, the electrical doors opened and one of the henchmen walked through.

"I said I didn't want to be disturbed!" Drakken yelled in his normal erratic voice.

"Sir, urgent news. You have to see this." Drakken gave him a 'you-better-be-right' look before following his henchman, and Shego followed closely behind. He looked at the giant monitor and saw a man dressed in metallic green armor with his hand around a woman's neck.

"What is this?"

"Shhhh! Listen!" Drakken looked annoyed and was about to say something to Shego about respect of mad geniuses but stopped when he heart that chilling, emotionless voice.

**"I am here to deliver an ultimatum."**

X.X

Monkey Fist sat meditating in his mansion; he understood he wasn't _the_ Monkey Master but that didn't mean he'd stop training. Perhaps one day, he'd surpass Stoppable on sheer hard work. Thus, he was very annoyed when one of his monkeys interrupted him and started chirping loudly. Sighing, he got up and followed the monkey to see what was wrong.

In his dimly lit great room, there was a sixty-two inch television surrounded by monkeys staring intently at the screen. He too turned his eyes and looked at the mysterious looking man with a black goatee and shiny green armor. In the background, he saw unfamiliar creatures wreaking havoc.

"What is the meaning of this?" Steppenwolf uttered his next sentence, almost answering Monkey Fist's question.

**"Surrender or die."** He closed his hand on the reporter's neck, severing it completely as the head rolled off.

X.X

Sensei sat meditating on Mount Yamanouchi when he felt it; death, bloodshed. War.

X.X

Middleton was in shock. The whole nation, the whole world was in shock. For most of them, it was the first time witnessing a true death--murder--and a gruesome one at that. The blood was still spewing out of the reporter's neck as Steppenwolf reveled in it with a sadistic smile. Judging by the expression the cameraman had on his face, Steppenwolf could only assume that he was right. _'These people are just like Kal-el's earth's people. Loving. Compassionate. Weak."_

He heard approaching jet fighters and saw artillery headed his way. Not wanting to confront a national army with only a dozen para-demons at his side, he boomed open another portal. Taking one last look at the camera, he gave another evil smile with his penetrating eyes.

**"We'll be back…with our army next time. Be prepared to surrender."** He heard a loud sound and turned to see an artillery shell ram straight into him. He was knocked back a couple dozen feet as the shell exploded, leaving a small crater with Steppenwolf in the middle. To everyone's surprise and horror, however, he just got up and jumped into the portal, followed by his para-demons.

X.X

Back on Apokolips, Darkseid stood stoically over his people. His army was in a process of rebuilding, having been devastated by a clash with New Genesis and another with Brainiac. He heard the boom tube portal open behind him but didn't bother to turn around.

"I trust you have not failed, Steppenwolf."

"No, master. I delivered the message--they have no choice. They have no one that can stand up to us, nothing that even comes close to our technology."

"How long do we have to prepare?"

"An indefinite amount of time. They have nothing."

"Excellent," he said, eyes blazing with contentment. Time was on his side; or at least he thought so.

X.X

Thirty miles south of Middleton, Earth's greatest hope arrived. The Justice League stepped out of their portal, unaware of the chaos that had already begun.

"I suppose we made it?" asked Green Arrow, seeing desert instead of stars.

"Yes. We need to set up base," Batman replied matter-of-factly.

"Gotham?"

"Actually, I was thinking of somewhere quieter. There's a town called Middleton, thirty miles north of here. At least it should be if our world's _are_ virtually the same."

"I'll scout," said Superman, flying ahead of the pack.

X.X

"He--he survived a direct hit from an artillery shell…"

"…wasn't even hurt…"

"…killed that lady without even trying…"

"…monster…" The whispers running through Middleton High reflected everyone's thoughts around the globe. The familiar screech signified the PA was on, and Mister Barkin spoke in a firm voice.

"Because of today's…tragedy, school is dismissed. And children, don't do anything stupid." There was a slow shuffle to the cafeteria exits, soft murmurs running through the crowd. In the midst of it all, Ron tried to find Bonnie, who had started off before him. He spotted her and quickly made his way over.

Despite their relationship problems, he still put an arm over his shoulder and held her. She didn't resist and instead eased into it.

"Does this mean you forgive me?"

"For the moment."

"Will you at least talk to me?"

"Come to my house, Ron." It was more of a plea than anything else. Like everyone else, she was shaken from the day's events, and things were put in perspective. She wasn't going to continue ignoring Ron in times like these. She loved him, and she couldn't deny it no matter how hard she had tried.

"Sure thing, Bon."

X.X

"Dr. D, look at this," said Shego quietly, pointing to the rat they had been working on.

"It's…dead." But it seemed so insignificant now. He had just seen a man--no, he wasn't human--walk through an artillery shell unphased. He was a monster--remorseless, sadistic, cruel--and a murderer. Drakken couldn't help but wonder at how much more death there would be when that monster returned. He looked down at the rat who, just an hour ago, had been the center of his attention and thoughts. Now, it was dead, and he barely even focused on it.

To him, it was just another death--perhaps one of many in the weeks to come. One more wouldn't hurt.

A/N--I know, I know, it still isn't as 'sad' as _The Day it Changed_ was, but it'll get there. This is just the start to the downward spiral our characters will go through. Yes, death will be a major theme in this work, and perhaps some of our main characters will die. How's that sound to you from an angst standpoint?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N—It's been a while, right? Well, this story isn't dead and hopefully won't die before it's finished. This is the last chapter before this story becomes depressing again. I guess you can read it for yourself to find out why. Drop a review if you can!   
Chapter 4 

**Two days later**

"This is crazy, Jonas," came a gruff voice. To put emphasis on his statement, the man slammed the newspaper down on his desk; in big bold letters, the frontpage story was **_Angels in Our Midst?_** Jonas quietly took in the criticism while he calmly scanned the room. It was a quietly furbished office with a small tree in the corner. Everything was immaculate thanks to the custodial staff who made sure to clean it thoroughly everyday. With such a taste for perfection, it came as no surprise that the man he was talking to established one of the most credible and outstanding newspapers in the country.

"Crazy sells, sir." The man across from Jonas frowned.

"You know as well as I do that I didn't establish this company for pure monetary reasons. We have an obligation to the country to bring them the truth and this…this could ruin our credibility."

"Mr. Jameson, with all due respect, we have a group of witnesses that all saw it happen." The man known as Mr. Jameson sighed. He wanted to believe the stories as much as the next person.

"These are dark times. There's an aura of hopelessness in the air, and people are just trying to find miracles where there are none."

"But their stories coincide perfectly—and unless they collaborated beforehand, they aren't lying."

"I'm not saying that they're lying. I'm just saying that they claim to have seen a blue blur and felt a gust of wind. That's it!"

"The fact stands that a three-year old girl tumbled out of a forty-two story building and was found safely on the ground."

"Maybe these people are just looking too hard to find a miracle. Maybe she never fell; I don't know!" Now it was Jonas' turn to sigh. He felt defeated by his boss's obstinacy.

"Yes, sir." Jameson's features softened as he saw his employee cast his eyes downward.

"The world's been through tough times before, Jonas. We'll make it through this one."

"Yes, sir." For the first time in his life, Jonas wasn't sure they would.

---Four days after Steppenwolf's ultimatum-- 

Ron stepped out of his car and headed towards his girlfriend's house. Her driveway was completely covered with snow, and each step made a crunching sound. As he arrived at her doorstep, he picked up the newspaper and, like the past three days, shook his head. Bonnie opened the door before he even had to ring her doorbell. He silently followed her to the dining room, his eyes never leaving the paper.

"What is it?" she finally asked, taking a seat to eat her cereal.

"This is getting out of hand, Bon. First they said there were angels among us; then, they said a red blur or flash or whatever tied up the criminals in a hostage situation. Now they expect us to believe a green bubble held up a collapsing bridge?"

"Ron, is it really so hard to believe?"

"Are you serious? You think this is actually _possible_?"

"Aren't you the one that says that anything's possible?"

"Bonnie, this is just crazy." The two had been arguing over the same thing at breakfast everyday since Steppenwolf attacked.

"But why? We saw a man survive a direct attack from an artillery shell on live TV!"

"That's different!"

"Why?"

"He's a villain!"

"So?"

"These…things would be heroes if they existed!"

"So?"

"Heroes exist to give us hope. If they were truly heroes, why haven't they shown themselves to us? Why has there been no evidence besides a few witnesses? For all we know these…angel sightings are as real as UFO's or blinking lights in the sky. We have plenty of witnesses for those things, but no one believes or trusts them!"

"Is it so bad to just have faith?"

"It's a blind faith, Bonnie. We're all scared and looking for something to cling to. If these people really existed, where have they been all these years? Why has it always been Kim and I saving the world?"

"I…don't know," she admitted resignedly. Ron walked across the table and put a comforting arm around her.

"It's okay. We'll find a way to make it through this." Suddenly, she wasn't so sure.

**--Global Justice HQ—**

Kim looked around and saw the various agents around her. She had been asked to attend a private and completely top-secret meeting in the wake of Tuesday's tragedy. She was surrounded by men in their late 20's, peak build, and women of the same stature. To her surprise, she bumped straight into Burn, member of Team Impossible.

"Hey, watch it—oh, Kim Possible! I didn't think I'd see you again…after I filed your dad's taxes that is."

"Oh, yea, thanks for that." There was a brief silence before the other members of Team Impossible arrived.

"Can you believe the news these days? Apparently, some guy in blue spandex carried an airplane to safety. Talk about extreme."

"If by extreme you mean extremely fictional," Crash replied nonchalantly.

"What are you talking about, Crash? We've—"

"He's telling you to grow up," interrupted Dash. "Speaking of," he said, turning to Kim Possible. "What do you make of this news?"

"I, uh, I'm not sure."

"See, she agrees with me!"

"She said she wasn't sure you idiot."

"Everyone, quiet down!" Dr. Director had arrived on the scene. Everyone looked up to the podium, attentive to what she had to say.

"As you all know, we were viciously attacked a few days ago. Not as a country but as a planet…our globe of unity if you will. Thus, I have called together all members and honorary members of Global Justice to tell you that sometime, probably in the near future, you will be called upon to put your lives on the line once again. Currently, our top researchers are attempting to find any evidence of what happened in New York, but until then, stay vigilant. Now, what I'm about to reveal to you is completely confidential." Kim silently took a seat, and everyone else in the room followed suit. It was going to be a long speech.

Her mind wandered back to Team Impossible's argument. On one hand, she wanted to believe the stories, to embrace them; on other hand, her practical side told her all of it was impossible. Impossible, as in not even possible for a Possible. People couldn't fly or shoot green bubbles out of rings. She attributed it to the false hope that people were looking for and deep down, she wanted to just completely accept it; after all, she wasn't sure if everything was going to be okay this time.

X.X 

**--Drakken's Lair—**

Unlike his usual décor, Drakken's lair was now filled with people besides hie henchmen. Personally, he had been surprised that they had all arrived on such short notice.

"Laddie, what is going on here?"

"Oh, stop your rambling. He's obviously going to tell us in a few minutes."

"He better! My little poochie is getting bored!" squeaked DNAmy, petting her ferocious, mutated dog. A small circle cleared out around her as the other villains slowly backed away.

After what seemed like an eternity, everyone quieted down as Dr. Drakken spoke from the top of his lair.

"Fellow villains, I'm glad you could come!" Just about everyone rolled their eyes. "As you all know by now, we have a new enemy on our hands. No, not Kim Possible, but that guy we saw on TV, uh, what's his name…did he ever tell us?" Drakken's naturally confused state caused the other villains to become restless.

"Just tell us why we're here!" Junior pouted.

"I'm extending an invitation to all of you to form a league…the greatest league that has ever existed! The League of…Extraordinary Villains!" Shego couldn't take it anymore.

"LEAGUE OF VILLAINS. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS A HUNDRED TIMES. IT'S THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS!"

"Yes, yes, Shego," Drakken said. "The League of Villains." However, the message had gotten across either way.

"Why didn't we ever think of this before? Every villain just teaming up to destroy Kim Possible?"  
"What's the fun in that?" asked Senor Senior. "A villain always fights alone…except in this case."

"What's different now?"

"If we don't make it through this, we're all going to die," Fruger Luger said matter-of-factly. "And I'll miss next year's "your trash is my treasure" sale!" Everyone groaned; it was going to be a grudging alliance.

X.X 

--**Team GO HQ—**

"So what's our plan?"

"We wait."

"For what?"

"Your heroes to show up." Mego hated to be mocked, especially by his brothers.

"Look, all I said was that the stories might be true!" All of his brothers cracked up laughing, giving him a taste of what it might have felt like to be like Shego.

"Ha—right, a hot babe dragged a train to safety with a rope!" Hego's comment provoked more laughter. Barely able to speak through their laughter, the twins spoke up.

"Or the guy that moved so fast that he created a tornado."

"Wait, don't forget about the guy dressed up like a bat and goes around prowling the night for prostitutes!"

Mego sighed; he had to admit it was outlandish, but what hope did they have against this new threat? Not even any member of Team GO would have been able to survive what happened to…Steppenwolf, and there were no other superheroes on earth. What hope did they have? He finally chuckled, embracing the laughter while he still could. He knew dark days were coming.

Meanwhile… 

"Steppenwolf, Kalibak, how are our forces looking?"

"We're ready to launch our first wave, Master."

"Good. We don't have much to spare after our war with New Genesis. Stain their planet crimson with blood. I will personally crush their remaining rebellions."

X.X 

Kim plopped down and turned on the TV after a long day. To her surprise, there was news besides the recent tragedy.

"…and in business, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne has established his empire in Middleton…"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N—No, I'm not dead. I've just been busy lately. Anyways, here's the next chapter in the story and read and review as you like. If this story is dead and receives very few reviews (completely my fault for not updating), then I will probably discontinue it permanently. If that's the case (and I hope it's not), apologies to loyal fans, and thanks to all of you for reading.

**Chapter 5**

At 5 a.m. EST, most of New York City was still soundly asleep in their snug beds. Twenty-two minutes later, a cantankerous boom echoed throughout the city when a bright, white portal opened up in the heart of the city. Many New Yorkers exasperatedly walked to their windows to find out who or what in their right mind would wake them up from their peaceful slumber. Some fainted at the sight.

Thousands of para-demons were streaming through white portals; they were led by a familiar man, someone who had come to haunt their children's nightmares and, though some would not admit it, their own—Steppenwolf. By 5:45 a.m. EST, the nation was in an uproar. Phone lines buzzed across the nation as anyone awake called their loved ones, who in turn called their loved ones, and so on. By 6 a.m. EST, Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, and a great many other honorary Global Justice members were on a plane to New York. By 6:30 a.m. EST, the U.S. national army arrived on the scene, guns blazing and artillery tearing through the city.

The war had officially begun.

**X.X**

"Kim, are you alright?" yelled Ron over the cacophony of fighting. He knocked out another para-demon with the Lotus Blade.

"Fine, Ron!" Kim yelled back as she kicked off the para-demon on top of her. She had to admit—these things were tough and giving them all they could handle. At least they weren't immune to artillery like their leader showed to be; speaking of Steppenwolf, he was staring at the battle with watchful eyes, calculating his next move. The planet was putting up a far tougher battle than expected. He stared down at a boy tearing the para-demons apart with dexterity that reminded him of the Dark Knight's fighting. Next to him was a girl putting up her own, though not so well.

He decided that was enough. Unhooking his whip from his side, he brandished the weapon as it started cackling with energy. In one swift moment, he attacked the girl. The boy looked up in horror as the whip came crashing down.

**X.X**

Ron looked around, figuring that he might live to fight another day. However, as his eyes scanned the horizon, he saw Steppenwolf approach Kim with inhuman speed. He watched as his world slowed down, and the whip slowly approached its target. Ron screamed at her but knew Steppenwolf was too fast for her to dodge. In one desperate motion, he dived at her, only to feel a hand on his shoulder stop him. Staring helplessly, he watched as the whip descended an inch from Kim's head; he couldn't even follow what happened next.

A blue blur approached from nowhere and in a moment was in front of the whip. Standing in front of him was someone who reminded him of Hego; blue spandex and a tall, imposing figure to back it all up. The whip cackled against the man's chest before being drawn back.

"Kal-el!" he heard Steppenwolf yell with…was that fear?

"Leave man's world," came a beautiful voice from behind him. He turned around and came face to face with a goddess. Long, dark hair cascaded down her back as she glared fiercely at Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf floated back into the air and looked around uncomfortably. He wasn't sure how many of the heroes had followed him, but judging by the quick destruction of his army, he guessed enough. His para-demons were now getting slaughtered by the enemy.

Red flashes and blue blurs zipped through his numbers.

Green arrows exploded into his crowded numbers.

The extraterrestrial being he only knew as the Martian Manhunter was single-handedly trashing part of his army, phasing through his troops or outright destroying them.

A giant green hammer was pounding his troops into submission—all of it willed by the determination of a single man with the Green Lantern ring.

The Amazon warrior was slicing through his numbers with her battle sword.

And the Dark Knight, still only human, was taking on multiple paratroopers.

Furthermore, the rest of the human race wasn't doing too badly either.

He knew he was defeated.

"Retreat!" he yelled, as a dozen boom portals opened and his army retreated into them. The last thing he heard was the loud cheering of the earthlings.

"Who are you?" Ron asked in awe. Now he truly did believe in miracles.

"We're the Justice League."

**Two Weeks Later**

"So you miss the hero business yet?" asked Bonnie, keeping in stride with him while they jogged.

"Not at all. I haven't felt so free in a long time. It's great to know that there are…well…super heroes like Superman watching over us now."

"And who was right about their existence?" She giggled as he groaned.

"You were," he admitted. "Though this does mean you aren't dating a real hero anymore."

"Life is full of sacrifices, isn't it?" she said sarcastically. He laughed in reply. "You'll always be my hero." _'You saved my life.'_

"Let's not get too sappy here," he playfully replied.

"I just said that to make you feel better." He rolled his eyes.

"You know what _would_ make me feel better?"

"What's that?"

"This." And with that, he lightly tackled Bonnie as the two tumbled into the snow laughing. As they kissed, Bonnie missed the subtle spasm that went through Ron's body.

**X.X**

On an inconspicuous island in the Bermuda triangle lay a fortress of impressive magnitude. Not only was the area surrounded by violent waters that gnashed against the island's high cliffs, but the fortress itself had enough failsafes to ward off Global Justice for an indefinite period of time; that, or at least enough time for its inhabitants to escape. After all, the meeting place of the world's most notorious villains needed to be fancy and elaborate, even, if for practical purposes, most of the functions (such as laser backscratchers) were superfluous. Then again, the villains had acquired quite an impressive amount of assets to add to the Senors' assets and, much to Fruger Luger's dismay, spent it freely.

Drakken, though, was busy in his own self-designed lab. He knew now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, exactly what was happening with his experimental rats. He just didn't know how to cure it.

"Darkken, it's pointless."

"Shego! It is NOT pointless." He stopped thoughtfully for a second before continuing. "Besides, even if it WERE pointless, what better things could I do right now?"

"Well, you know…trying to take over the world?" Drakken laughed.

"With the 'Justice League' here to protect us?" Drakken replied. Shego sighed. He had a point.

"Well, it's not like Superman doesn't have ANY weaknesses right?" Her only reply was a thrown newspaper. She picked it up and read the front page.

"Superman Halts Missile Test. Hmm…interesting." She continued reading as her eyes widened. "As part of his campaign dubbed "a world without weapons," Superman stopped the trajectory of the 10 megaton nuclear missile with blunt impact, ramming the missile off course four miles in the air before detonating it with his eyes. Speculation is that he was caught in the explosion because witnesses claim to have seen an object described as a "blue shooting star" crash into the earth. Within minutes of impact, Superman flew out of the crater, seemingly unharmed."

"We're not fighting against Kim Possible anymore. We're out of our _league_." Shego rolled her eyes at the pun. "And I'd rather have a world governed by Superman than no world at all."

"Yes well, tell that to Stoppable. Do you think he wants the 'world' he has when he finds out?" An uncomfortable silence passed between the two.

"He'll find out in due time."

"Oh yea? When's that? When he's writhing in pain as his body systematically tears itself apart?"

"Alright, Shego, how do I tell him?" She thoughtfully sat and wondered.

"Send him the results. Nothing else."

"And what if he doesn't understand them?"

"We both know what the formula did to his mind. He probably has a higher IQ than you by now."

"And still growing…" Drakken muttered.

"Yea, and it'll keep growing until…"

"…his brain can't handle it anymore," Drakken finished. He wondered if there really was no hope for Stoppable.

**April 1st (Over a month later)  
**

April Fool's Day was supposed to be like any other day except better because it allowed people to goof off and let go a little bit more. It's a day of innocence, going back to childish roots of whoopee cushions and gum tasting like vomit. It was on this day Bonnie got her acceptance letter to a very prestigious institution; she anxiously awaited the mailman to arrive and ripped open the packet immediately before yelling in glee. Ron Stoppable also received a life-changing packet on April Fool's Day as he lazily walked towards his mailbox and opened it. Inside, the smooth, brown envelope contrasted its contents. Ron saw his name on the cover and took it inside and opened it. His eyes widened in shock.

April Fool's Day would never be the same again. Neither would his life. _'Or what's left of it'_ he thought bitterly to himself.

On April Fool's Day, one person couldn't stop laughing. That number became two, then four, then hundreds. On April Fool's Day Batman saw someone he hoped he'd never have to see again. On April Fool's Day, the biggest prankster of all showed up in Middleton with maniacal laughter. The Joker had arrived.

**A/N--No, the Joker is not some "random" cameo. Yes, Ron Stoppable is dying. Yes, the story will go back to its angsty roots. Yes, characters will start dying left and right. Yes, Darkseid is coming back. **

** If the story continues I mean. Please and review if you want it to.  
**


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